"Ready, 3-2-1, start!" starts a young voice as the screen flickers to life, powered by magic. At that moment, a serious looking stallion, draped in a coat of light yellow fur stepped onto the screen from the right. The young stallion's slightly long pink-blue mane falls onto his face as he did so. With a slight huff, he brushed his mane out of the way, and resumed his introduction. "Hello there, my name is Dr. Danbow S. Seoule, a Pegasus Scientist with a PhD. in Theoretical Magic. These are my research logs." In the background could be seen various papers strewn about on a desk while many chalk diagrams cover a nearby chalk-board. The writing is utterly atrocious and incomprehensible. But the thing that most catches one's attention is the stallion eye-fucking the camera as he gathered his thoughts.
"Why don't I start with why I'm doing this," the Pegasus nodded to himself as he blinked a few times. "While some may consider these electro-magical contraptions to be a fad, or a crime against nature, I believe they will far outlive any contemporary method we have today. If I am correct, then this will be the best chance I have of leaving my mark on the world, and preserving my findings for the future." With a brief smile, Dr. Seoule absentmindedly stared off into the distance. After a few seconds, he shook his head, and resumed raping the camera with his stern, probing purple eyes. "If you're seeing this several years from today, January 3rd, of the year 100, then my findings have been accepted by the scientific community, and are available for public use." He paused for a second, his piercing eyes looking to the left, toward a window, as his ears perked a little. With a shake of his head, he resumed his speech. "But if you are seeing this anytime before then, then you have triggered a-" Suddenly, his warning was interrupted by a knocking at the door. Subsequently, a voice was heard.
"Hey Soul-Man, you in there? I found something totally awesome while out on patrol today! You have to see it!" came the voice of a slightly older stallion. Through the (now open) door strolled in an off-white stallion with a short, light-blue mane, and off-yellow eyes. His armor signified him as one of the royal guard. With an annoyed sigh, Dr. Seoule turned to face his (uninvited) guest. With a quick flick of his right wing, the electro-magic recording device shut off, and the screen faded to black.
"By Great Odin's Raven, Storm, you know I detest that name. I neither asked for it, nor do I wish to be called by it," the pony scientist replied sternly, never losing his serious stature. "And for fuck's sake, will you stop wearing that ridiculous armor? You and I both know there haven't been any true royalty here in Equestria for decades. The only Guards left are the new, private armies held by the many petty nobles that took over after the fall. You do these patrols to check for potential threats to the research team that hired you, not as a member of the Royal Guard."
"And by 'research team', you mean yourself?" Storm retorted wryly.
"Exactly," replied Dr. Seoule as he looked his companion up and down. "And if you actually knew anything about the Old Guard, you'd know that a half-batpony like yourself would be more suited to joining The Nightguard, what with your special night eye abilities, and your overall appearance. I doubt you'd find a pony in the Celestial Guard with notched ears, and bat wings, even if you look like a normal pony at first glance," he finished,
"Well excuuuse me, princess, for lacking the knowledge of an entire library," Storm teased as he stuck his tongue out at the yellow pony. "Anyway, I'll have you know that I actually wear this armor because my dad served dutifully in the Canterlot Royal Guard. I'm just trying to uphold family tradition," he continued proudly, as he posed in his battered, faded cuirass.
"By hiring yourself out as a body guard, and throwing on some battered old armor you found attached to a skeleton under a pile of rubble in these very ruins? Yes, your old man must be so proud," Dr. Seoule replied dryly.
Storm huffed at the dry humor. "Well, someone has to start them up again, and what better place to start reforming the Canterlot Royal Guard than the ruins of Canterlot Castle? There's got to be some way to repair this armor, and rebuild this place. I bet with enough work and volunteers, we could get a full garrison going!"
Dr. Seoule rolled his eyes at his body guard's wistful fantasies, before finally bringing up the point that usually drives this thrice had conversation to a grinding halt. "That's all well and good, but how can you have a 'Royal Guard' without any true royalty to guard?"
Storm winced a little at, as his fantasy bubble popped before his eyes. "I...still haven't figured that part out yet." He looked around the room at all the scrawls and gibberish. He pointed in the general direction of the mess saying, "Besides, isn't that what all this messy shit you've drawn and scribbled is about? Making new Alicorn souls or something?" This was a new point in this conversations to the good doctor, though it irritated him more than anything.
"All of this 'messy shite' is over 1000 years worth of collected knowledge on magical theory, Alicorn history, geographical maps of the area, and various other things you probably wouldn't understand. This has nothing to do with souls, or anything of the sort." The doctor scoffed, before resuming his tirade, "Where such a ridiculous idea came from is beyond me. Just because my last name is Seoule, and thus decided to start calling me 'Soul-Man' behind my back doesn't mean souls have anything to do with my research." Danbow stopped to catch his breath a little, before once again readjusting his mane which had fallen onto his face during his irritated spat.
"Ok, ok, I get it, just calm down a bit, Soul-Ma-, I mean Dr. Seoule." Storm sheepishly nodded, as the scientist pony's flushed face began to recede. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, and once again regain his composure, Dr. Seoule set his now softer but still sharp eyes upon his guest.
"I'm rather sorry about that, I don't know what came over me. The incredulity of your generalization of my work must have triggered something in the back of my mind, causing me to loose the fury of my words upon you. Perhaps the stress of my research is starting to show." With that, Danbow, closed his eyes, and took another deep breath, before opening his averted eyes and placing on hoof over his heart. This action is the countrywide sign of regret. "I sincerely hope I haven't offended you in any way, and I wish that our relationship may remain unaffected by my outburst. " The older stallion simply smiled in response, before mimicking the former's actions while making eye contact, thus confirming that no harm was done, and that all is well between the two.
With the briefest of smiles, Dr. Seoule looked back at his guest. "Now then, you were saying you found something worth mentioning?" The doctor was, of course, referring to the outburst that lead to Storm entering his study in the first place.
"That's right!" Storm exclaimed, suddenly remembering his reason for coming here, "I found something that you have to see. It's amazing! Not something that I can just tell you about, you have to see it for yourself. C'mon!" He quickly trotted to the doorway, signaling for the doctor to follow.
"All right, all right, just give me a moment to grab my briefcase and I'll be right behind you." Dr. Seoule replied, hurrying about, occasionally stopping to grab something he had manipulated to float toward him. After a minute's time, the two began walking down the dusty, rubble strewn hallway that lead to the dead city outside.
"So, if your work doesn't have anything to do with Alicorn souls, then what is your work about?" Storm asked, before immediately regretting his words. Dr. Seoule was surprised at the question, but smirked, before pulling out a few diagrams while he walked.
"Ah, well, I happen to be studying the process by which blah...blah...blah..." Storm suddenly found himself starting to drift off while he walked down the hallway with his charge. "Yaaaawn....The good doctor sure knows how to put you to sleep, eh?" Storm thought to himself, as he struggled to maintain consciousness. With a good shake of his head, he abruptly said, "Wow, that's some really interesting stuff you're doing. Best save the rest of it for when you finish your research right?"
Danbow furrowed his brow at the sudden outburst, but agreed nonetheless."Hmm, you're probably right. Don't want to spoil anything I can't prove, even if my field of study is entirely theoretical. Very well, carry on."
Storm nodded quickly, happy to have successfully changed the subject. "Just wait till you see this damn thing, Doc, it will literally blow your fucking mind."
"I'm pretty sure my mind will remain intact after seeing whatever it is you're so excited about, but if you're this ecstatic about it, then it must be something worth studying," Danbow replied, his usual stern expression once more present and accounted for. In the back of his mind, however, gears began turning, as this mysterious find begins to take root in his brain.
A crackle escapes from the speakers, though the screen remains curiously blank. A serious sounding voice emanates from the magical device, prompting one to simply listen. "January 4th, year 100. As you have by now noticed, there is no visual feed in this recording. That is because storing and playing back sights and sounds takes considerably more electro-magical power to operate, which is something of a scarcity in my current situation. As such, future entries will all be audio recordings and nothing more."
Some shuffling could be heard in the background, followed by a loud thud from far away. "Don't mind the noise, my assistant-slash-bodyguard, Storm Fury, is currently excavating a recent find in the ruins of and surrounding Canterlot Castle. Some structures and rubble are unstable, so these things are expected. Pay him no heed."
The stern voice, presumed to Dr. Seoule, cleared his throat before continuing on. "Now then, I believe I am on the cusp of a great discovery, one that will shake the scientific community to its core. I can't divulge too much now, but it may be vital to my research. Now, some may be wondering what a Theoretical Magician such as myself would be doing studying old, possibly dangerous ruins. The reasons for my archeological pursuits can best be understood if one were made aware of the current world status."
A few more thuds, followed by a cry of pain emanated from somewhere in the background. With a sigh, the voice drearily muttering to himself, "He'll be fine, just carry on with your recording."
"Now then, where was I?" Dr. Seoule asked aloud, before huffing, and resuming his train of thought. "Ah, yes, the current state of affairs. Equestria has fallen. The 4 royal Alicorns are presumed extinct, and the capital city of Canterlot was destroyed and abandoned in the ensuing wars over who would rule Equestria. That was about 100 years ago. What's left of our once great land has been divided into city-states run by petty nobles claiming absolute control over the land in their grasp. Most of them are benign, generally loved by the populous, though there are a few areas where few dare to tread."
"TIMBERRRRR!" called a voice in the background, followed by a very, very large, "CRASH!" The doctor audibly winced at the loud noises, but continued on nonetheless, though there was a certain anxiousness to his tone.
"Meanwhile, foreign powers have steadily encroached upon our 'borders'. Many wars on the miniature scale have been fought near said borders, but for now things seem to be in an uneasy peace. There are still petty squabbles among the nobles about trade tariffs, and immigration taxes, but nothing worth fighting over. Yet."
Some more rustling could be heard, though it sounds mostly like paper shuffling. "Speaking of the nobles, most of them claim to be descended from one of the Four Royal Alicorns. This is hardly true for any of them, but it keeps the citizens believing in them. I fear for what might happen should such facts be revealed during these trying times. Now then, History states that of the Four, only one of the ruling Alicorns had any domestic ties. This would be the ever famous Crystal Princess, Mi Amore Cadenza, who we know was married to one Shinning Armor. Though it was never officially stated that any of the Princesses produced children, I know for a fact that there was indeed a young child sired by the Crystal Princess."
A sigh escaped from the doctor's mouth as he said these next words, "I know this because Princess Cadence was my mother. I am the son of an Alicorn."
"It's right this way, Doc. I think you called this area the Throne Room?" Storm bickered aloud, as Dr. Seoule sighed, trying his hardest not to loose his patience with the poor Pegasus. The continued on down a ruined hallway, leading to what was now an outside area, due to years of neglect, and who knows what else. As they entered the desolate are, the sight of the Auburn sky associated with the setting sun caught Danbow's eye.
"My, is it that late already? I really must make a habit of checking those clocks I set up more often. They're everywhere for a reason." he thought to himself, until he noticed the pale light of the full moon peeking over he horizon.
It's beauty was almost entrancing, drawing Dr. Seoule in with it's pale beauty. It was almost as though it were calling out to him.
Storm, meanwhile, bounded to the far end of the grassy area, toward a huge rubble pile. Looking behind him, he noticed that Danbow was still on the far end of the area, staring eastward at the slowly rising moon.
"Doc! Hey Doc! Earth to Soul-Man, Earth to Soul-Man, do you copy?" He shouted, as "Soul-Man" resounded off the remaining walls of the area. This brought Danbow back to his senses, though rather irritatedly.
"I thought I told you not to call me that anymore!" he snapped, abruptly turning to face his cohort. "Why are you all the way over there?" Seoule asked, still irked.
"I could ask you the same thing, Doc. I thought you were right behind me, but when I turned around to finally show you what I was talking about. Come to find out, you were way back there, staring off into the distance with this strange look. I was worried for a second that maybe you had inhaled something funny, or something."
Dr. Seoule shuffled uncomfortably for a second, a little unsure himself what had come over him. Shaking his head, he began trotting over to where his guard sat.
"I appreciate your concern, Storm, but didn't you have something you wanted to show me?" He came to a stop in front of the pegasus, who's face suddenly brightened up, before dashing over to a particularly barren spot on the ground. In the middle of it lay a small hole that looks as though it had been dug by hoof.
"Over here, Doc. Ya see this dark spot? When you dig into it, for some reason you find bits and pieces of the wall. Curious, I dug up a chunk of the area, and lo-and-behold, I found what appear to be large chunks of rubble. This got me thinking-"
"Now there's a dangerous task," Danbow smirked under his breath.
Ignoring that, Storm continued, " It got me thinking that maybe there's some kind of room down there, like a cellar or something. So I checked out some of those old Castle schematics you found in what's left of the Library, and get this: there used to be a tower where this room once stood. This leads me to believe that perhaps this room is a remnant of that tower that got sealed off when they built the throne room!"
Danbow stood there, peering down into the hole. Unfortunately, the dimly lit area didn't lend itself to revealing anything about the rubble. Just then, the light of the moon peered in through a hole in the wall, illuminating the hole, and allowing Dr. Seoule to see clearly. There was indeed a lot of rubble down there. Gears began to turn in his mind, and a sort of giddyness entered his voice.
"Storm, I think you may be on to something here. I want you to begin excavating as much of that hole as you can. In the meantime, I'm going to go revisit those plans, and see if I can find anything that will give us a clue as to where this thing goes." Danbow smiled for the first time in a while, before turning around and heading for his tower. It was going to be a long night, but he didn't care. Not now, anyway.
Several hours later, Danbow sat hunched over a myriad of papers which were inlaid with various sketches, a small lit candle his only source of light. Each barely lit paper showed a varying degree of age to them, some dating back over 1000 years. The more aged, delicate ones were tucked behind clear, protective sheets, so as to preserve them against harm. The piece Dr. Seoule was currently eying carefully was possibly the oldest of its kind, dating back to the founding of what was once Equestria.
"Now let's see, here, If I cross-reference this schematic here," he though aloud, before placing another leaflet beside the first, "with this one over here, from just 100 years later; I find that this tower over here was newly built," the good magician muttered to himself, his eyes darting back and forth between to pages as he motioned toward the pieces in question, "and the throne room was moved from over there to where it currently resides, if you can call that mess of rubble a room, anyway."
A loud yelling sound interrupted his thoughts,